Margot Slattery knows a thing or two about diversity, being an openly gay leader and a female CEO of the Irish operations of food and facilities management giant Sodexo. She spoke to Ann O’Dea

Unsurprisingly on a personal level, Margot Slattery feels it is only right and fair that all citizens should have the right to marry but, more than this, as a businesswoman who deals with some of the largest tech multinationals in Ireland, she fears for the reaction to a potential No vote in Ireland’s marriage equality referendum on 22 May.

Sodexo Ireland employs some 1,800 employees in 200 locations around Ireland, and Slattery deals with multinationals in a variety of sectors, so she has had her ear to the ground on this in recent months.

Consensus seems to be building among Ireland’s business leadership that a Yes vote in the 22 May referendum on marriage equality is the only way to go. Just this morning, IDA chief Martin Shanahan came out and said a Yes vote was good for business. Slattery agrees that if we are seeking further FDI (foreign direct investment) into this country, a No vote would send out all the wrong messages.

At a time when our tech and innovation industries are chasing the best and brightest talent from abroad, it is vital that we send a message that Ireland welcomes all and treats all equally, she said.